Homemade melt-in-your-mouth Vegan Fudge is pure chocolate bliss! The ultimate Christmas confection, it’s perfect for gift giving in holiday treat boxes. This recipe is made with just five ingredients: vegan chocolate chips, coconut milk, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and walnuts. It includes instructions to make homemade dairy-free condensed milk, too!
Homemade Fudge
Growing up, my mom made chocolate fudge often. She rarely made anything from scratch, and baking wasn’t her forte, but homemade fudge was a regular treat. It was always around at Christmas, too. She often gave plates of it to the mailman and my teachers.
Like me, my mom was a chocoholic, so fudge was a year-round treat, rather than seasonal. She often made it for birthdays and holidays, too. It was my favorite chocolatey sweet.
After moving out, I asked for the fudge recipe, only to find that it came from the back of the condense milk can! It was made with simply condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Walnuts were optional. It was really that easy to make?!
I made fudge at Christmastime for a few years in a row, always to the delight of the people I was sharing it with – coworkers and neighbors mostly.
After going vegan, I cleaned out my recipe cards and toss everything that contained dairy and eggs. I wish I could go back and tell myself that I would one day learn to veganize just about everything! Fudge has been a difficult one to veganize though, since dairy-free condensed milk is a relatively new product. I’ve yet to find it in my local stores.
Vegan Gifts
I like to put vegan treat boxes together to give as holiday gifts. The cats’ vet’s office always get one, as does the woman who cuts my hair. I often take them with me to holiday parties, too. This year, as I was thinking about what to stuff those boxes with, the chocolate fudge of my childhood came to mind. “I must make it vegan,” I thought.
Vegan Condensed Milk
As I mentioned, although vegan condensed milk does exist, I haven’t seen it in the stores yet. I considered ordering some form Amazon, but I’d have to buy a case, rather than just one can. So how about I try to make it myself?
Condensed milk is super easy to make. You just need coconut milk — make sure it’s full fat — and sugar. It does take a little while to condense, though.
To make vegan condensed milk, place the coconut milk in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, whisking to prevent burning. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and add the coconut sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. All it to simmer for 30-45 minutes, until it reduces by half. It will thicken and become a little beige in color.
Vegan Fudge
To make vegan fudge, just add chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Then stir in vanilla extract and walnuts, if nuts are your thing. Pour the mixture into a parchment lined baking pan and refrigerate until firm.
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a can of dairy-free condensed milk, making homemade vegan is even easier! Just bring it a boil, reduce the heat, and then add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and walnuts, if using.
Once the fudge is firm, slice it and serve it! Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it (or eat it), because it will melt. It might get a little messy, but what fun is a chocolatey treat without the mess?
Homemade vegan fudge is a terrific treat for holiday parties, it’s can be a great dessert after Christmas dinner, and it’s perfect for gifted treat boxes! I’m betting Santa wouldn’t mind a square or two with a glass of almond milk on Christmas Eve.
Vegan Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 12 ounces non-dairy chocolate chips or 2 cups chopped non-dairy chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
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Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
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Add the coconut milk to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil, whisking to prevent burning.
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Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
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All the coconut milk to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until it has reduced by half. Whisk occasionally to prevent burning. It will thicken and become a little yellowish in color.
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Add the chocolate chips to the pan and stir until their fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and walnuts, if using.
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Pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the fudge is firm.
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Slice and serve! Store in the refrigerator until serving.
Other Delicious Treats that are Perfect for Gifting Include:
- Tahini Truffles
- Chocolate Almond Date Truffles
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bites
- Gingerbread Cookies
Oh, this looks amazing, and I love that you don’t need a candy thermometer to make it!
Thank you, Becky!
I love that you used coconut sugar Dianne – this must temper the sweetness a little. I’ve had so much trouble finding good coconut milk lately. Most brands are watery now and don’t even thicken when chilled. How is 365 doing in that realm?
Thanks, Alisa! I did have problems trying to make whipped cream from chilled coconut recently, but I think I had used Trader Joe’s brand. The 365 worked well in the condensed milk, but I haven’t tried chilling it lately.
This looks like the perfect Christmas fudge! I love that you used coconut milk in this too, it’ll be a great party treat.
Thank you, Nicole!
This fudge looks amazing! Perfect for holiday gift giving too!
Thanks so much, Julie!
This looks great! Do you have an approximate measure of the amount of condensed milk needed for the recipe? I have a 11.5-ounce can (so about 3/4 cup) of sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Thank you, Jess! A 11.5-ounce can of condensed coconut milk will work.